I finally beat the game and was thinking, what if Trilla wasn't killed by Vader in the end? What if Cal managed to save her in time? Thus, the birth of this story came about XD (I blame my muse once again)
Summary: Cal Kestis managed to escape Fortress Inquisitorius with Cere and a redeemed Trilla. With the Holocron destroyed to prevent the Empire from tracking down the Force-sensitive children, Cal and his crew begin searching for alternate ways to weaken the Empire. Yet Cal is not safe, for Emperor Palpatine has tasked Darth Vader with bringing him back...with the intention of turning him into his new Inquisitor.
Rating: T
Setting: AU (divergence from main storyline in the game)
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Star Wars franchise aside from my own plot.
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Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order: Redemption
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Chapter XXII
-"I want you to strike me down," Trilla finished, her eyes locking onto Cal's as the latter stared at her in shock.
"Why would I do that?" he finally replied after a pregnant pause.
"Because I don't want to hurt you or Cere, or even Merrin for that matter. I know...I have been slipping since my encounter with the Sixth Brother. I'm afraid I'll lose control over myself like I did back there and try to hurt you," she explained, turning her head to the side, her eyes casting a downward glance at the floor.
Cal's green orbs fell upon the lightsaber wound he inflicted on her earlier. He thought Cere would have healed it by now, but her mind must have been preoccupied with Trilla's erratic behavior. Instead the wound was hastily bandaged and even the slightest of movements caused Trilla pain. Recalling what Cere had done for him when he was hurt, he reached a hand out over the injury.
"What are you doing?" Trilla asked, moving back a little when he reached out towards her.
"Just trying what Cere did to me," Cal closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and reached out with the Force.
Merrin and Trilla watched in silence as Cal passed on some of his energy to the latter through the Force, and the wound began to knit itself closed as fresh skin emerged over the scarred tissue. Once the wound was healed, the ginger-haired Knight opened his eyes and leaned back against the sofa, small gasps of air escaping his lips as he calmed himself down.
"Now I get why Cere looks so tired after healing. It really does take a toll on you," Cal said with a small laugh.
Trilla examined her torso and saw the lightsaber wound had completely healed over.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
"Don't mention it."
Greez shouted from up front at that moment that they had arrived at Alderaan.
-Lothal-
Ahsoka sensed the lightsaber from behind Hera being recalled back to the Sixth Brother and quickly pushed the Twi'lek out of the way as the saber ignited itself halfway through returning to its master's hand. The white blade of her own lightsaber parried the red as the Togruta deflected the blow, then quickly reached out with the Force to prevent the Inquisitor from regaining his weapon.
It was a game of tug-of-war as the two fought over control for the weapon.
The Togruta narrowed her eyes in concentration as her fingers instinctively curled inwards, pulling strongly on the weapon while the Sixth Brother's hold wasn't weak in any way.
Their control over the Force were clearly equal as the lightsaber hovered between the two, refusing to budge due to the proportionate pull from both sides.
Hera noticed the other two Inquisitors were using this as a distraction to recall their own lightsabers.
"Ahsoka watch out!" she warned.
Ducking as one of the blades went spinning over her head, Ahsoka's pull over the lightsaber was broken, allowing the Sixth Brother to reclaim his weapon. The three Inquisitors broke free from their bonds and surrounded the Togruta Jedi, keeping her trapped in a triangular formation. Ahsoka ignited her other saber and switched to the Shien reverse grip on one, her legs slowly walking in a circle as she faced the trio.
"There's no one here to save you this time," the Ninth Sister taunted.
"I don't need help," Ahsoka retorted, her montrals warning her of an attack from behind.
Using the Force to aid her, the Togruta launched herself high into the air, flipping over in a graceful arc to land behind the three Inquisitors. Clearly the three have underestimated her abilities because Ahsoka threw one of her lightsabers outward in a semi-circle, using the Force to pull it back into her hand.
"You are more skilled than you appear to be," the Fifth Sister remarked.
"I feel flattered," Ahsoka deadpanned.
The Sixth Brother leaped towards her with his lightsaber spinning in hand and Ahsoka stepped backwards to avoid the strike. Striking upward with the blade held in the reverse grip, the Togruta blocked the next attack, then kicked backwards as the Ninth Sister attempted to sneak up undetected. The kick knocked the breath out of the Twi'lek Inquisitor as she stumbled backwards into the Fifth Sister.
"Watch it!"
"You watch it!"
Seizing this chance, Ahsoka stretched a hand out and Force pushed the two bickering Inquisitors into the nearby building, knocking them out as the back of their heads made contact with the wall. This gave her some breathing room since she could now solely focus on the Sixth Brother.
"Just you and me. You know, you have great potential to become an Inquisitor. Why must you oppose the Empire? As Lord Vader's former Padawan, your skills will be of great service to the Emperor," the Sixth Brother said, walking slowly in circles around the Togruta, the tip of his lightsaber scorching the ground as he did.
"I left the Jedi Order long ago. I will not betray myself nor my comrades by joining the Empire in torturing and hunting down surviving Jedi!"
"Shame. We could have been such good partners."
The two jumped at one another with their lightsabers.
Alderaan was definitely one of the nicer planets that Cal has seen once the Mantis landed at one of the ports. Cal walked down the ramp alongside Cere and Trilla, while Merrin opted to remain behind to help Greez in case something happened. There were no Stormtroopers in sight, which was a welcome relief to the weary group as they made their way towards the city.
"Is Alderaan always this peaceful?" Cal asked, observing the people around as they walked past the trio.
"No. The Sith Empire launched a full-scale invasion during the height of the Great Galactic War. They took the royal family hostage but a counter-attack by the Republic and Jedi task force managed to crush the enemy and freed the royal family. As a result of this, Alderaan adopted a militarist stance against the Sith before the fall of the Senate."
Cal sucked in a breath upon hearing Cere's explanation.
So the Sith actually tried to take over the planet by force but were repelled by the Republic and Jedi prior to Order 66...did his master participate in the task force as well?
"Come. Our contact is up ahead," Cere beckoned for the two to follow.
They walked up a hill leading to an extravagant palace in the distance. Standing at the base of the hill was a male dressed in elegant blue robes, and Cal couldn't help but wonder if the man was part of the royal family.
"Cere Junda, it's so good to see you."
"Senator Organa, I'm glad you have accepted my request."
The man chuckled and raised a hand up at the mention of Cere calling him Senator.
"Please, call me Bail. Who might these two be?" he asked, peering over Cere's shoulder.
Cere glanced around cautiously, prompting Bail Organa to assure her that there were no Empire spies on Alderaan.
"This is Cal Kestis, a Jedi Knight who survived Order 66. Standing next to him is my former Padawan, Trilla Suduri, who is also a Jedi Knight."
Bail Organa's eyes went wide upon hearing this.
"So there are Jedi who have survived Order 66. When I heard...heard of what the Emperor had ordered, I was greatly disturbed by it. I was aware that Masters Yoda and Obi-Wan managed to escape the purge, but it seems I was wrong in assuming the others have fallen victim to the Empire."
"My master didn't survive. He died protecting me aboard the Venator we were on when the Emperor gave the command," Cal said bitterly.
"Who was your master?" Organa couldn't help but ask.
"Jaro Tapal," Cal's fingers instinctively touched his lightsaber.
"I have heard of Master Jaro Tapal, but never had the honor of meeting him in person. I am sure your master would not wish for you to dwell on the past. Come, let us converse inside where it is more comfortable."
The group began making their way up the hill towards the palace. Trilla was talking to Cere quietly ahead of Cal, leaving him alone with the Senator who had taken a slight interest in him.
"Your name is Cal isn't it? Can you tell me how you managed to escape from the Empire? I heard the Emperor has his Inquisitors scouring every planet for Jedi survivors."
Why was everyone so interested in hearing how he hid from the Empire?
"I hid on Bracca for five years working as a rigger."
"I see. How is it you came to know Cere?"
"I...had a friend...a Abednedo named Prauf. We worked together for the guild, and while we were on an assignment one day...I was forced to reveal my identity as a Jedi to save his life during an accident. The Empire discovered this and sent two Inquisitors to Bracca to bring me back. Prauf...sacrificed himself so I could escape and that's when I met Cere," Cal explained, clenching and releasing his hands as he spoke.
Realizing his inquiries were dredging up painful memories for the Jedi, Bail Organa chose to rest a hand on the latter's shoulder.
"I'm sorry if this brings up painful memories for you. It was not my intention," he apologized.
"It's fine. I've accepted it," Cal said, giving the former a small smile.
Merrin opened her eyes after meditating on board the Mantis. Teaching Cal how to use the dark side was more challenging than she expected. The ways of the Jedi and those of the Nightsisters were different. For Cal to truly understand how to balance both, it will certainly take some drastic measures. The Nightsister thought back to what Master Yoda's apparition had told her.
To save Cal from the darkness in his heart, she needed to help him purge Vader's influence.
Suddenly the task sounded more daunting than anticipated.
Having faced Vader within the limbo world of what Cal called the Force, Merrin experienced first-hand just how powerful the Sith Lord is. If it weren't for her knowledge in wielding magick and Yoda's timely interference, her consciousness would have been defeated. Mother Talzin once warned that should their consciousness die within, their physical bodies will perish as well.
"Are you alright there Merrin?" Greez interrupted, cutting Merrin off from her thoughts.
"I am fine. How is the ship coming along?" she asked, unfolding her legs to stand.
The Lateron placed a bunch of tools on the kitchen table.
"All finished. The Mantis is back to one hundred percent functionality."
"That is good news indeed," the Nightsister walked over to stand beside the captain of the ship.
Greez fought back the urge to hide himself from the Nightsister as she stood beside him. Though he had grown somewhat more comfortable with her presence, the Lateron was still weary of her.
"W-Would you like to help?" he offered, holding up a bottle of spice towards her.
A smile appeared on Merrin's lips as she took him up on the offer.
The battle between Ahsoka and the Inquisitors was wearing the Togruta down significantly. Once the Fifth and Ninth Sisters recovered from their ordeal, they coordinated a pincer attack that nearly caught Ahsoka between their lightsabers. The Togruta Jedi barely managed to escape danger by performing a dodge at the last minute where she could feel the tip of the Fifth Sister's lightsaber whiz past her face.
The Ninth Sister landed a sharp kick to her gut, forcing Ahsoka backwards as she panted heavily, exhaustion threatening to overtake her body should she falter even the slightest bit.
"Looks like she's finally starting to tire," the Ninth Sister mocked, swinging her lightsaber in a circle.
A plasma bolt fired from Hera's blaster drew the Inquisitors' attention towards the Twi'lek. Several rebel fighters were rallying to her as they fired shots from various positions. The three Inquisitors were clearly annoyed by this sudden interference and calmly deflected the shots back with their lightsabers. Bodies toppled over from their vantage points to the ground, infuriating Ahsoka as she used the Force to pull a transport flying overhead down onto the Inquisitors.
The Sixth Brother pushed the transport away into the nearby field, sending the ship crashing into the ground in flames. Thankfully the transport was flown by droids, which meant no lives were lost as Ahsoka jumped at the Sixth Brother.
"Never leave your allies open to attacks," the Sixth Brother said.
Ahsoka pushed herself away from the Inquisitor with the Force and spun around to find Hera being placed in a choke hold by the Ninth Sister.
"Hera!"
"Say farewell to your friend," the Ninth Sister jeered.
The Togruta made to save the Twi'lek from the Inquisitor but the Sixth Brother placed her in a Force hold, trapping her in place as the Fifth Sister prepared to impale Hera with her lightsaber.
"No!" Ahsoka screamed, struggling to break free from the Force hold.
Raising her weapon in the air, the Fifth Sister brought it downward in a powerful stroke.
"Hera!"
To be continued...
See you all next week!
Also, I saw the Rise of Skywalker and got a bunch of new ideas for my story in the process XD
Anyone else saw it? What did you think of it?
Celsius Fate~